The body of a man was pulled from the river in Ludlow today after being spotted by a businessman and woman who were on their way to work in the town.

Police and ambulance crews were called to the River Teme, near Park Lane, at 10am, after being alerted by Sebastian Parker, 41, and his partner Debbie Chatham, 46.

The couple, who run the Country Kitchen Cookshop, in Pepper Lane, tried to pull the man to the bank at Breadwalk, on Whitcliffe Common, but the current was too strong.

Mr Parker said: “We had parked our car and we were walking across Dinham Bridge, towards the town centre, on our way to work at the Country Kitchen cookshop.

“We saw a large object in the river. I did not know what it was. We crossed the bridge and saw that it was a body. The river was flowing at a very fast pace.”

Mr Parker said they went down to the Breadwalk to try to pull the body to the riverbank but the current was too strong.

He said: “It looked like a man in his 50s or 60s. I was quite shocked. Debbie was very distressed by it.”

An ambulance was called but the man was dead. The body was removed from the river by a police search and rescue team.

Sergeant John Evans, of Ludlow police, said: “The body came to rest in a quiet part of the river, just up from the Horseshoe Weir. The death is unexplained at this stage.”

Police were examining their records to see whether the man had been reported missing.

The man had been wearing jeans and a dark blue jumper. Anyone with information can call Ludlow police on 08457 444888.